That’s not a metaphysical question. Nor is it (tonight) a question about wine. Rather, it is the second part to the question: which clam sauce do you prefer?

I’ve always been a white clam sauce guy. It’s something about the clean, briny flavors of clams, garlic, olive oil, and a little white wine. So, naturally, when I made the dish tonight, I chose red. I had a little leftover tomatoes in the refrigerator, and it just felt right this time.

An easy dish:

chop finely a fat clove of garlic

finely dice 1/2 jalapeño pepper

scrub a dozen of the smallest fresh littleneck or manilla clams you can find

sauté the garlic and clams in a couple of tablespoons of olive oil over a medium high flame, with a cover on the pan

add the diced pepper after a minute or two

if the pan gets too hot (i.e. garlic starts to burn), add a little white wine (less than 1/4 cup), and turn the heat down slightly

cook until the clams begin to open fully; remove the open clams to a bowl

when all the clams are open and removed, there should be some of the clam juice in the pan; if not enough, add a bit of white wine

add top quality Italian canned tomatoes (about 6-7 oz. or a quarter of a large can)

cook uncovered until the tomatoes have concentrated into a thick sauce

meanwhile boil about 1/4 lb. of best Italian dried spaghetti in salted water

reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta water, and drain the spaghetti

add pasta to the sauté pan with the sauce, and put in enough of the pasta water to make the sauce about the right consistency

remove the clam meat from the shells, and put them in the pan, mixing into the sauce

place in large pasta bowls, grind some fresh black pepper generously on top — serve

Now, Red or White….wine. Either will work. I had a glass of white (a Lugana), followed by a red (the rest of the Nebbiolo d’Alba). Mangia!!